


Within the Palace Walls

by waxbirds



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 01:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11325486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waxbirds/pseuds/waxbirds
Summary: Medieval AU in which Reader comes with Lady Barbara to the Palace because Reader is her handmaiden and is helping to prepare for Lady Barbara’s wedding to the prince. During nights Reader can’t sleep, she bugs knights (specifically Trevor) about her duties to her family.





	Within the Palace Walls

On the nights, you couldn’t quite get to sleep, you took to wandering the castle. It was nice, to see the large hallways so quiet and, for once, much less intimidating than they were where you walked with Lady Barbara, the noble who you served as handmaiden, and you watched nervously as other highborns made faces for a fleeting moment before greeting you both. You were a noble too, by birth, but houses such as yours served as bannermen for a larger, more important house, lending your armies when they went to war. You served as a handmaiden to the first-born daughter of the house your family was sworn to, and when she’d moved into the palace after the news that she’d be married to the prince that would one day be king. When Barbara had moved to the palace, her mother had written to yours and asked (though, it wasn’t exactly a question as much of a demand) that you go as well, in service of her. You were all too happy to do it, if you were being particularly honest. Your home was comfortable, but it was small and the area in which you lived bored you to death. Besides, you loved Lady Barbara, and you’d been friends since you were children. It just made sense for it to be you. Still, it had been a shock to move into the snake pit, and every time you rounded a corner, you were faced with someone who wanted you (Lady Barbara) dead.

At night, you had no need to worry about such things.

However, you did have to worry about the kingsguard who patrolled the halls at night, at the King’s request. He’d grown paranoid the last few months and while those knights you’d stumble upon usually were in the forefront of the vanguard, battling for King, country, and glory, they now became little more than palace guards. Most didn’t take it well, nor did they like being snuck up on by a handmaiden, or anyone else for that matter, and there were many nights where you’d turn a corner to find a sword being brandished in your face.

Blissfully, as you turned a corner, you noticed that the particularly scary looking guard that was usually stationed near your bedroom wasn’t there. Instead, it was another kingsguard you recognized only because he didn’t actively try to intimidate you when you saw him. He never smiled, like all of them, but there was something that told you he was a good deal kinder. You couldn’t explain the feeling, but you trusted it.

“One of these nights, someone’s going to have an actual problem with you wandering around, milady,” the knight, who was standing with his back against a wall across from the window, eyes shut, told you. Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“How did you know it was me?” you asked nervously, fingers finding a piece of fabric that was attached to your dress, which you had put back on in order be decent. If you were going to be out at night, at least you weren’t in your nightclothes. He shrugged, looking over at you with a curious expression on his face.

“Your footsteps are much too light to be another knight,” he informed. “I don’t see many other people during the night besides men in armor and you when you can’t sleep.” It wasn’t the first time you’d run into this knight during your bouts of sleeplessness, and he had always been kind to you. He stood up from his leaning position, glancing around before turning towards you. “What troubles you, milady?”

Your mouth opened and shut a few times as you debated whether or not you wanted to share your worries with this man. He seemed kind enough, but you’d learned long ago to keep things to yourself in the palace, which made your sleep incredibly difficult. You felt like you were going to explode some nights, like that particular night, and led you to wandering around in an attempt to tire yourself out. Usually, you’d speak to Lady Barbara about things, because she was somewhat like a sister to you, and basically the only confidant you had at the palace, and you were hers. With the upcoming wedding, however, Lady Barbara had been swamped with plans for the ceremony. You helped her however you could, but the two of you hadn’t had a proper conversation in so long.

“I won’t breathe word to a soul,” the knight told you, as if he sensed your reluctance to talk. “I understand how perilous it is to say anything these days. Especially with our king as…” he paused, seemingly trying to find the right word to use. “Cautious as he is about traitors and conspirators these days. I sincerely doubt you are either of those.”

“I am neither,” you confirmed with a tired chuckle. “It’s just…news from home that’s worrying me,” you added. “Or rather, the lack of news from home.”

“Do you think something’s wrong at home?” he asked, “or are they not writing to you as much as they used to?”

“Both, if we’re being entirely honest,” you sighed. “Last time I heard from my father, the Dunkelmans, the family mine is pledged to, were asking us to bring our armies to Tyke Falls, where they live. I haven’t heard anything since my father told me he and my younger brother were heading north.”

The knight listened carefully, nodding every so often to show you that he was indeed listening and only when you stopped, he said anything. “And you haven’t heard from your mother?” he asked curiously. You shook your head.

“I don’t hear from her often,” you sighed, “It was my duty to come here with Lady Barbara but my mother didn’t exactly seem pleased with the fact I’d be moving to the palace.”

“So, she’s ignoring you now?” he asked, “have you sent her letters or just your father?” The line of questioning, you had to admit, made you a little uncomfortable, but saying something would certainly make you feel better. The last time you’d brought it up, you and Lady Barbara had just moved into the palace and she assured you your mom would come around soon. That was months ago, now.

“The first few letters I sent to her, and my father answered. And I got the hint and I kept writing to him,” you explained sadly, frowning. He made a face, shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, milady,” he told you. “Please, don’t look so sad. I’m sure your mother will come around any day now. And there has to be news from home soon. I doubt she’d ignore talking to you if anything important had happened.”

“I know,” you sighed, offering him a sad smile. “And you didn’t upset me. I’ve been upset for a while, and keeping it all in, I suppose.”

“Why?” The knight perked up as soon as he spoke, and a moment later you heard it too. There was a sound down the other hallway, past where the two of you stood, and you gave him a look, unsure if you should have been speeding back to your room. As the sound faded away, he relaxed and you did too.

“I don’t have many people to talk to,” you told him, blushing slightly. “I was told to not trust anyone, and I trust Lady Barbara, but she has so many things to worry about now, with the wedding and all, and I don’t want to bother her, and I’m sorry to bother you…”

“You’re not bothering me, milady,” he told you quickly, “I don’t have much else to do right now and I’d rather listen to you than have you hold it all in.” You couldn’t help but smile at his words. Kindness, proper kindness, was rare in the palace.

“I appreciate it, Sir…” you trailed off, and you realized then that despite the fact he was familiar, and the fact for some unknown reason, the sight of him made you a little giddy and gave you butterflies, you had no idea what his name was. You felt worse considering the fact this wasn’t the first time the two of you had spoken.

“Trevor, milady,” he supplied.

“Sir Trevor,” you finished, smiling a little wider. “You are far too kind.”

“You deserve nothing but kindness, milady,” he told you seriously. “Please don’t make this place make you think otherwise.”

The two of you looked at each other as you tried to find the response to what he said. After a long silence, he nodded towards the hallway behind you.

“You should try to get some sleep, milady,” Sir Trevor told you, “the sun will be rising soon.”

“You’re right,” you agreed, looking over at the window next to you and then back to him. “I appreciate you listening, Sir Trevor.”

“Anytime, milady. I hope you sleep well.”

____

You didn’t hear anything from your father for a few weeks after your conversation with Sir Trevor during your nighttime stroll. You kept yourself busy in the meantime, running all sorts of extra errands for Lady Barbara for the wedding. You spent more time than you cared for dealing with palace staff that certainly made you uncomfortable.

After a particularly uncomfortable set of conversations with the kitchen staff over what Lady Barbara and the prince wanted for the cake, and the snide comments about tastes of the westerners (you and Lady Barbara were both from lands west of the palace and the area wasn’t always looked on kindly) the two of you decided to spend some time together in the garden.

“It’s a shame we don’t spend more time in here,” Lady Barbara sighed as the two of you walked the winding path lined by flower bushes. You took a second to not worry about anything, not about the wedding, or the rudeness, or your family’s lack of contact to enjoy the pretty blue and yellow flowers that surrounded you.

“It’s hard, milady, with so much to do and not much time to do it all,” you told her, “I am sorry I’m not more help.”

“Hush, [Y/N],” she said, shooting you a look. “You’ve done more than enough.” After a pause, she added, “you know, I hate it when you call me _milady_.”

“I know,” you said, “but I’d rather not give these people one more reason to look down on us, if I can help it.”

“You worry too much, you know,” she told you, “they’ll have to deal with us after the wedding.”

“That won’t mean they like us.” You decided to focus on what was around you instead of worrying about what would happen a few months from now, and as you passed a few people who you recognized from seeing them in the halls, they nodded to you in greeting and you smiled and nodded back. As you rounded a corner, following Lady Barbara, you spotted in the clearing of benches across from where you stood, Sir Trevor standing guard. You couldn’t help but smile. As he looked around in your direction, before you could stop yourself, you waved. He looked in your direction, and then he nodded in response.

“Who is that you’re waving at?” Lady Barbara asked curiously, leading you to a bench and sitting down. She eyed him as best she could from the distance between you both and him and then looked at you with raised eyebrows.

“Sir Trevor,” you explained, and before you could even think to stop it, you felt a slight blush rise onto your cheeks and Lady Barbara laughed teasingly.

“You know him, then?” she asked, glancing over at him again, “he’s a knight? A kingsgaurd and not a member of the palace guard?”

“I think so?” you said slowly, “I haven’t exactly asked him.”

“I’d say he is,” she went on, “his armor is different than the palace guards, and he doesn’t wear a helmet like most of them seem to like to do.” She patted your arm. “You certainly picked a cute one, [Y/N].”

“I have _not_!” you hissed, blushing a deeper scarlet and looking up to see if he was looking over to you and listening. He was clearly too far away to hear her, but the fact he was even in the vicinity made you nervous.

“I saw you go all starry-eyed and the smile and the little wave,” she laughed, “and you could do much worse than him.”

“It’s not what you think,” you muttered embarrassedly, “he’s just…very kind to me, is all.”

“He’s kind to you and gives you butterflies when you see him? You become overwhelmed with the urge to smile like a fool and wave him whenever you see him?” Lady Barbara guessed, glancing over to the knight once more. You huffed.

“I looked like a fool, didn’t I?”

“I thought it was sweet,” she assured, “I’m sure he did too, and you’d be able to tell if he didn’t look so serious.” Lady Barbara went on to continue, but before she could, a woman approached with envelopes in hand. As the woman got to you, she held an envelope to you and one to Lady Barbara.

“Thank you,” Lady Barbara said, smiling at the woman as she took her envelope. You offered a weak smile to the woman who was scowling down at you, and offered a quiet “thanks” as well.

“Has your father finally written back to you?”

“I think so,” you answered, flipping the envelope over to see your name written on the front. “It does look like his handwriting.”  With a little bit of effort, you opened the envelope and yanked the parchment from inside.

_My darling daughter,_

_It has been much too long since my last letter, but assure you all is well at home. Your brother and I have only just returned from Tyke Falls, and the situation was proven to be nothing more than a chance to blow your horn the loudest._

_However, it has also proven to be an opportunity for our family. While at Tyke Falls, Lord Dunkleman introduced me to another Lord who was interested in offering me, and by extension, you, a proposal. A marriage proposal. I have accepted it and after the prince’s wedding, your mother will remain to help you plan your own ceremony. I believe that Lord Penrose is a good man and good suitor for my eldest and only daughter._

_We will be at the prince’s wedding, as will Lord Penrose, so the two of you can be introduced then. I cannot wait to see you after so long._

_Love,  
Your Father_

You stared at the word scrolled on the parchment for what felt like a century, letting it all sink in. Your father was going to…marry you off to someone you’d never met. You always knew it was a possibility, but you hadn’t expected it. At least, not so soon. You knew you couldn’t be a handmaiden forever, but so many things were changing at once and it was getting to be a lot to process.

“What is it?” asked Lady Barbara, shaking you from your thoughts.

“My father and brother are home,” you stated, “and my parents are coming to your wedding.” It was better not to mention your own impending wedding considering all she had to think about. You were less important than all that.

“Your mother’s coming?” she asked, raising her eyebrows, and you nodded. “Well, she won’t be able to ignore you then.”

“I guess not,” you sighed. “I suppose we’ll see when the time comes, milady.” You motioned to her own opened letter.

“The Queen would like to meet with me, alone, before dinner tonight,” she informed, showing you the short note her envelope had contained. “That can only mean good things,” she added, chuckling a little bit. “Would you mind helping me into a nicer dress? The last thing I need is to hear from her servants how much like a peasant I look today.”

“Of course, milady,” you said, standing up. “Lead the way.” As she led you back into the palace, you had to admit, you were trying to catch Sir Trevor’s eye, but he was looking in the complete other direction. Feeling a little bit disappointed, you stuck your letter into its envelope and stepped inside.

____

The letter from home, of course, left you feeling restless when you tried to sleep later that night. You tossed and turned, but no matter how you lay, you always found your eyes opening to stare at the letter your father had sent you. You did your best to keep your mind busy while you helped Lady Barbara got ready for her meeting with the Queen, and during dinner, and helping Lady Barbara get ready for bed. It had worked, but once you were allowed to bathe yourself and slip into bed, you couldn’t stop the thought from nagging at you.

You were going to get married. You were going to get married to a man you’d never met before in your life. You knew that it was a possibility, and after your first blood, your mother had taken you aside to explain how things worked. Like her, you were the eldest in your family, which meant that you were your family’s most powerful asset in moving up in the political world. Your father’s lands and armies were twice the size of your mother’s family, and the marriage served both families well. Your father had land and people, and your mother had valuable resources specific to their region.

You learned long ago that marriages were political more than they were for love. Your parents had gotten lucky, and by the looks of it, Lady Barbara and the prince had too. You weren’t so sure you were going to, and you only hoped that whatever your family got out of the marriage was worth it.

After laying in bed, wondering what Lord Penrose was like, you decided to dress in something more suitable and go for a walk. As much as you told yourself you weren’t going to, you were checking down halls for Sir Trevor, hoping to have him to speak to again. Luckily, you didn’t have to look too far before you found him, in roughly the same place he had been standing the last time you saw him.

“Can’t sleep again, milady?” Sir Trevor asked as he saw you approach. You gave him a guilty smile, and nodded.

“A lot on my mind,” you answered, “makes it hard to do anything but pick things apart. Can’t do that while you’re sleeping.”

“That is true,” he agreed, nodding and turning his body more fully towards you. You were always amazed that when knights in armor moved, they didn’t just make all sorts of clanging noises. Movements were certainly not silent, but it was never as loud as you’d think.

“Would you like to talk about it, milady?” He looked at you expectantly, as if he already knew the answer. You nodded in response and took a moment to lean against the wall nearest him.

“I finally got some news from home,” you told him.

“Good!” he said brightly, and then paused. “It is…good news?”

“My father and my younger brother have returned from Tyke Falls unharmed,” you said. You paused and then added, “And my father’s accepted a marriage proposal on my behalf.” The knight’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and then knitted together as he seemed to try to figure out a response to that news.

“Oh, uh…is that good news, milady?” he asked slowly.

“I…don’t know,” you answered. “It’s to someone I’ve never met, or even heard of. My father’s sure he’s a good choice, and I understand it’s my duty to do what’s best for my family but…”

“You’d rather marry someone you know and are fond of?” Sir Trevor finished, and you nodded. “That’s not unreasonable, milady.”

“It also isn’t how the world works sometimes,” you pointed out. “I’m not sure what this Lord Penrose has to offer…”

“Wait,” he cut you off, eyebrows furrowing again and worry spreading over his face. “Lord Penrose?” he asked and you nodded.

“I take it you know him?” you guessed.

“I do.”

“And I also take it you don’t particularly care for him,” you added.

“I don’t like to speak ill of other people, milady,” Sir Trevor informed but after a pleading look from you, he sighed and nodded. He glanced around and once he was sure you two were alone, he began to speak in a low voice. “I cannot say he’s a friend. Or particularly honorable, if we’re being honest. He’s also…quite a bit older than you.”

You made a face of displeasure, “then why would my father agree to this?”

“Maybe because Lord Penrose is related to the king,” Sir Trevor offered, “first cousins, if I’m not mistaken. I think that’s why he gets away with as much as he does.”

“Great,” you sighed, frowning. “So, I’m in for hell, then.” You were so sure that telling anyone, or at least Sir Trevor, was going to make you feel better. That news wasn’t something you could hold in, but you also hadn’t expected his reaction either and it almost made you wish you had. The unknown was scary enough, but for some reason, you trusted Sir Trevor and for him to have such views on your future husband did not bode well. It didn’t help he looked properly worried at your news.

“Maybe it won’t be that bad, milady,” Sir Trevor suggested. “Maybe settling down will straighten him out.” You gave him a skeptical look.

“Do you honestly believe that?”

There was a pause before he uttered a quiet “No, milady.” You sighed heavily in response.

“I appreciate your honesty,” you told him. “I just wish it was better news or that I had an out.”

It was then that something seemed to dawn on Sir Trevor. He stood up a little straighter and there was a look of comprehension dawning on his face. You looked at him in confusion, and even looked behind you to see if he was seeing something you did not.

“I know it’s out of turn of me, milady, but may I ask a small favor of you?” he asked excitedly. You nodded.

“You can ask me for anything,” you chuckled. “What can I do for you?”

“May I borrow some parchment and ink?” he asked. “All of this talk makes me want to write to home.”

“Of course,” you said, raising your eyebrows. You found the sudden change of subject strange, and you weren’t so sure why he seemed so excited to write home. “Just give me a moment to go get it.” You turned on your heel, and headed back to the room that couldn’t seem to hold you at night. You grabbed everything that he needed from your personal store, which you kept in a trunk near your bed, and headed back to Sir Trevor. You wanted to ask why he was suddenly so insistent on writing home, but as you handed everything over, you decided it was better not to ask.

“Thank you, milady,” he said graciously as he took it. “It’s important and if I don’t get the letter out now, it might be too late.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” you told him, “I really should try to get some sleep anyway, though I doubt I’ll be able to with so much to think about.”

“I am sorry,” he told you honestly. “I don’t think I helped ease your mind at all.”

“If nothing else, I at least know what I’m getting into now,” you sighed. “I do appreciate it.” You offered him a small wave. “Goodnight, Sir Trevor.”

“Goodnight, milady.”

_____

As much as you didn’t want to bother Lady Barbara with your troubling news, with the added information that Sir Trevor told you about your betrothed, you were set to explode. You needed to speak to your best friend, your closest confidant, about the whole thing. You had to tell someone how, despite the fact you knew it was your duty to do what was best for your family, you were angry your father was willing to allow you to marry someone like Lord Penrose.

Admittedly, you weren’t the one who told her about it so you didn’t break the promise to yourself to not worry Lady Barbara with things that didn’t matter to her.

You were in one of the private dining halls with Lady Barbara and the prince when it finally came to light. You hadn’t exactly been invited to dinner, but when a man who you knew to be in service of the prince knocked on your door and informed you that you were wanted, you found yourself standing in front of them both.

“Please, have a seat,” the prince said, motioning at a spot across from Lady Barbara.

“Oh,” you said nervously, “Your Highness, I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be proper.” He looked from you to Lady Barbara, laughing.

“I always thought you westerners were a bit more relaxed about these sorts of things,” he told her, still laughing.

“I believe the word I’ve heard thrown around is ‘uncivilized,’” Lady Barbara mentioned, chuckling as well as she turned to you. “It’s alright, [Y/N]. No one’s going to hang you for sitting and eating with us.”

“I insist,” the prince told you, motioning at the set spot once more.

“If you’re sure,” you said slowly, and you inched the seat away from the table and slid into the spot. You nervously helped yourself to a small amount of food, and after both of them told you to take more, you did. “So…do I get to ask why I’m here with you two?” you asked nervously, cutting into a piece of meat while you did.

“I like to know my family,” explained the prince, “and with the upcoming wedding between you and my father’s cousin, I believe that makes you family.”

“What?!” exclaimed Lady Barbara, dropping her fork onto her plate. She looked from the prince to you, expecting an immediate explanation. “What is he talking about, [Y/N]?” she asked when she didn’t get an answer. You sighed heavily, chewed on what food was in your mouth before swallowing and answering.

“My letter from home,” you started slowly. “From when my father and brother returned from Tyke Falls. Your father introduced him to Lord Penrose, and accepted a marriage proposal on my behalf.”

“And you didn’t tell me?!”

You looked guilty at her for a moment before casting your gaze down to your food. “I didn’t want to bother you. Not with all that’s been going on for the wedding.”

“This seems the kind of thing to talk to someone about,” she told you.

“I did talk to someone?” you offered. “Though Sir Trevor did not exactly ease my mind on the matter.”

“Sir Trevor,” the prince sighed before taking a sip of his drink. “Him, I like. I’m not surprised he didn’t ease your mind. He and Lord Penrose aren’t exactly…fond of each other.”

“I gathered as much,” you said, nodding. “All he told me was that he didn’t consider him a friend or particularly honorable.”

“Sounds about right,” the prince said, “if we’re being entirely honest, I’d go a lot further than that if I were him, but Sir Trevor is a good man. And a much better choice for you than certainly twice your age Lord Penrose. With any luck, you won’t have to see him much. His lands are second only to the Palace, so I can tell you that you’ll be comfortable.”

“Wait,” Lady Barbara interjected. “If Lord Penrose is as awful as you and he say he is, why should [Y/N] marry him at all?”

“Because it’s important for my family that I do that,” you said shortly. “Trust me, as much as I’d rather pick Sir Trevor, who has been far kinder to me than I expect Lord Penrose to be, and more than likely much more handsome than I’ll find my future husband, the fact of the matter is my father thinks this will be good for my family, and it’s my duty to do what I can.” At this explanation, the prince began to laugh. You frowned, feeling your face flush a little as you looked to your friend, who seemed equally confused.

“The two of you are a lot alike,” the prince laughed, “both so rigid about upholding your duties. As I said, a much better choice and I doubt either of you would oppose, judging by how you speak of each other.” The words made your heart skip a beat, and your gaze shot back to the prince.

“He…spoke of me?”

“When I asked,” the prince said simply. “I wanted to know what type of person my love,” he looked at Lady Barbara that said in no uncertain terms how he felt about her, “had by her side at nearly all times and he seemed eager to speak about you. He seems as enamored with you as you are with him.”

“I never said I was!” you exclaimed.

“You didn’t have to,” Lady Barbara chuckled. “You just said you find him handsome and you should have seen the way you lit up when you heard he speaks about you. And don’t even get me started on the day in the garden,” she added, her chuckle spilling into a full laugh. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks as you remembered that day.

“Well, it doesn’t matter whether or not I’m fond of him,” you pointed out, a hint of sadness tinged in your voice. “I’m getting married to an awful man, if I’ve heard correctly. I just hope His Highness is right in that I won’t see him often.”

Blissfully, the subject was dropped after that. Instead, the prince took to asking about your family, and your home, Gelenmere Peak, and how you were liking the Palace. Speaking to the prince certainly made you nervous, but the longer the three of you spoke, the more you could see why Lady Barbara hadn’t refused nor complained about the match. They were very similar and as you left, you were sure that you liked him.

____

The next time you heard from home was a month before the wedding. In the month leading up, there were a number of new things for you to worry about for Lady Barbara, the least of which was the public proclamation of their upcoming marriage. You weren’t sure why the king waited so long to do it, you just made sure your lady looked every bit the part. In an effort to make her look better, you’d also taken out the dress your father had given you when you’d moved to the Palace. You weren’t entirely sure that the royal blue dress with gold stitching in patterns of flowers suited you, but the material was soft and the dress itself was pretty. Plus, it had been a gift from your father.

The letter had been slipped under your door, and only when you went back in search of a bracelet Lady Barbara had given you did you find it on the floor. You bent down to scoop it up, and recognizing your father’s handwriting on the outside of the envelope, you ripped it open, eager to see what he had said.

_My darling daughter,_

_It seems plans have changed. After I wrote to you about the arrangement with Lord Penrose, I was first written to and then visited by a Lord Collins. He informed us that his second son, Trevor, had written to him about you, and about how fond he seems to be of you, and asked if I would consider a betrothal. He wouldn’t take your promising to Lord Penrose as no for an answer._

_Ultimately, it was your mother who decided, as she always knows best. She said it was best left up to you, and asked me to remind you that there are times that what’s best for your family is for you to be happy. She also urged me to tell you that that doesn’t apply in all situations._

_We will see you soon for the wedding and we can discuss this more._

_Love,_

_Your Father_

Your heart soared as you read the words on the page. You had to read it over again four times to made sure you properly grasped what was written. You were confused beyond all belief that your mother, of all people, was going to allow you the decision and even suggest duty wasn’t the most important. That didn’t seem like her at all.

Still, you knew in an instant who you were going to choose.

Forgetting why you had gone to your chambers in the first place, you took off as fast as you could towards the Garden, where you’d seen Sir Trevor earlier. Your dressed flowed behind you, soft blue fabric whipping as you turned a corner and you lifted it as you careened down the tower stairs. After you’d reached the bottom, you practically flung yourself through the doorway that led out into the gardens and stopped short. You scanned the area, and you were glad to see one, that Sir Trevor was still there and two, the two of you were alone. You ran straight for him, and you seemed to take him by surprise because he made a noise of surprise as you got within arm’s reach and before you could throw your arms around him, there was a _clunk_ and you were suddenly falling backwards and landing on your butt.

For the first time, you hear Sir Trevor laugh. It was only for a moment, and then he was bending down to pull you up onto your feet, one hand on the small of your back, leaving you far closer to him than you’d been before. As your face burned, you glanced up at him for a moment to see an amused look on his face as he went to pull off one of his gloves. Nervously, you brushed off the small amount of dirt from your dress.

“Don’t ruin your dress on my account, milady,” Sir Trevor said, still stifling laughter. He reached out with his ungloved hand and gingerly started to fix your hair, which had flown everywhere while you were running and you were assuming the falling hadn’t helped it. “I could have told you that wasn’t a good idea. Armor is meant to kept things _away_ from the body, you know.”

“Sorry,” you muttered, blushing a deeper scarlet still. “I was just excited to see you.” You glanced up at him as he finished fixing your hair to see a fond smile spreading on his face.

“That is…very nice to hear,” he told you. He opened his mouth again, presumably to ask why, but then he noticed the parchment still clutched in your hand. “News from home, I’m assuming?” When you shot him a look, he chuckled guiltily. “My father came straight from Glenmere Peak. I was waiting for you to get the letter from your father,” he told you.

“Well, I got a letter from my father,” you told him, holding it up. “Is this why you just _had_ to write to home that night?” you asked. He nodded.

“I don’t think I could have lived with myself knowing that you were going to marry Lord Penrose, especially knowing what kind of man he is,” he explained. “If anyone deserves better, it’s you, milady.”

“[Y/N],” you said. “We’re getting married, aren’t we? I think you can stop calling me ‘milady’ now.”

He nodded, chuckling. “[Y/N],” he repeated. The way your name sounded coming from him made your heart do little flip-flops and the butterflies in your stomach, the ones that always seemed to be there whenever you saw him, became more noticeable than ever. You were also suddenly aware his gloved hand was still on the small of your back, holding you close to him, as if you were going to leave if he let go.

“I hear you’re rather fond of me,” you teased, waving the parchment to signal where you’d heard it. Again, Sir Trevor chuckled, and you could have sworn you saw the pink tint come to his cheeks.

“I am,” he told you, “I was hoping it wouldn’t be so obvious.”

“It wasn’t,” you informed. “I knew you were kind to me, far more than most in the Palace, but I had no idea. Except for when the Prince told me he’d asked you about me. I’d say I kept my fondness of you to myself, but the Prince and Lady Barbara would say otherwise.”

“I’d say so too,” he laughed good-naturedly. “I saw you light up that day you with Lady Barbara before you waved. It…it was nice to see you at least seemed to feel the same.”

“I do,” you said definitively. “The night the Prince invited me to dinner, he told me because he liked to know his family, he told me how much better a match you and I seemed to be, and I told him I’d pick you over him any day.” Sir Trevor beamed, and seemed to stand up a little bit straighter as you told him that.

And then, it hit you.

“Oh no,” you groaned, face falling. Sir Trevor’s face fell too, and the hand on your back began to move in soothing circles.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly seeming his normal serious self.

“Lord Penrose,” you hissed. “I don’t think he’s exactly going to be happy with this turn of events.” Sir Trevor snorted, smiling down at you.

“Don’t worry about Lord Penrose, mil—[Y/N]. I can handle that sorry excuse for a man,” he told you, “it wouldn’t be the first time and he didn’t kill me, as much as he seemed to want to. I don’t think he’ll be worth worrying about. He won’t be happy, but he’ll be distracted before you know it.” With that, he bent forward to press a kiss to your forehead. “I wouldn’t let him anywhere near you.”

“I’m worried about you,” you explained, still frowning.

“Don’t be,” he said. “He’ll be here for the wedding, come looking for me, he shout for a bit. Maybe try to hit me, but he’ll be drunk enough that he won’t get anywhere close. He’ll find a woman to ease his pain, and he’ll be gone.”

“Are you sure?”

Sir Trevor snorted and then nodded. “Positive.”

“And you’ll be fine?”

“Absolutely fine,” Sir Trevor assured. You looked up at his face, and when you saw the sure look he wore, you nodded. You glanced around to check that the two of you were still alone before closing the space still between you and kissing him gently. At first, he seemed to be taken aback, but then he was kissing you back, his ungloved hand finding its way to your hair again. After a long moment, you pulled away from him.

“Don’t get yourself killed on my account,” you told him seriously, giving him a stern look. He looked back you fondly and chuckled.

“[Y/N], there’s no one I’d rather get killed for.”

_____

Even with so much to worry about, Lady Barbara still found the time to ask you all about what had happened in the garden when you mentioned offhand that you’d spoken to him after explaining your father’s letter. While you both questioned your mother’s decision to let you decide, you were both equally relieved to know that you could (and would be) marrying Sir Trevor instead.

You spent what time you could with Sir Trevor, but with the wedding so near, the two of you had to scramble to find time to be together. The king had tripled his security effort and you worried about how little time Sir Trevor had to sleep. Still, you found yourself wandering down the hall every night now to find him. You were much too excited to sleep these days.

Two days before the wedding, you were admittedly disappointed that you wouldn’t see Sir Trevor the day of, even though you understood perfectly why you wouldn’t. You both had your duties to see to. Still, you couldn’t quite help putting on your emerald green dress that you intended to wear the day of the wedding to show him. As he usually was midday, you found Sir Trevor in the garden. You were giggling as you twirled to show it off to him, blushing at the compliment he was giving you, when you noticed two people approaching that made you stop dead.

“Father!” you exclaimed and as you looked from your father to your mother, you smiled. “Mother!” It was nice to see the both after nearly a year apart, but it was nice to see your mother was no longer angry. You found yourself running towards them, throwing your arms around your father. When he let go, you paused in front of your mother, who looked like she was about to cry. She held out her arms to you and you smiled and hugged her.

“So that will be the Collins boy, then?” your father asked.

“Yes,” you answered, still being tightly squeezed by your mother. He muttered something about wanting to meet him and stalked off and after a minute, your mother finally let go.

“It’s so good to see you,” she told you. “I’m sorry it’s been so long since we spoke.”

“It’s fine,” you sighed, leading her over to a bench to sit on. “I’m just glad you’re here.” A silence fell between you, and the both of you looked over to your father and Sir Trevor, who both looked very serious as they spoke.

“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?” your mother asked. You chuckled.

“He is,” you told her. “And he’s very kind.”

“Then I take it you’ve made your decision then.”

“I have,” you informed. “But I have to ask you a question.” You looked away from the two men to your mother, who was still watching them with some interest.

“What is it, my dear?”

“Why let me choose at all?” you asked. That seemed to get her attention and she looked to you, eyebrows knit together.

“What do you mean?” she questioned.

“You always taught us to fulfill our duties, do what was best for our family,” you explained. “If I did that, I should marry Lord Penrose but you convinced Father to let me decide between the two. Why?”

Your mother sighed heavily. “Because once, there was a girl not much older than you who was given the choice to marry a man who’d go on to be very important, like his family was poised to do, but he was cold. Or she could marry a much kinder man, though his family would never achieve as much as the first,” she told you. “I like to think I made the right decision in marrying your father. And you seemed to make the right decision too.”

“Oh,” you sighed. You’d never known about that, but it made sense. You always wondered how your parents had been so lucky. You’d had friends whose parents married in a similar arrangement but they were miserable.

“Besides, Lord Penrose came home with your father,” she told you. “He was awful.”

“I’ve heard he’s not great,” you chuckled. You sighed, “I’m worried about how he’ll take the news.”

“He won’t be happy,” sighed your mother. “But we’ll deal with that later. For now, we should probably join those two before your father scares him off.” You both laughed as you stood up off the bench and when you stood, you felt lighter, like the weight of worrying about so many things had slid off your shoulders. You followed after your mother, finally not fearing what the next few months would hold for you. You were sure you’d be okay.


End file.
